Commencement
by katisafluffykitten
Summary: A thread meets with another when new beginnings take place between old friends. Risks are taken, just like always, just a little differently.
1. Prolouge

Prolouge

There wasn't much he could say about the new apartment he lived in. The only fact was that it was less comforting than his trailer. Not that he would ever get that back after having a Hunter demon smash it to pieces. That day had been eventful, something he hadn't expected. Nor answering a pretty girl - naked. Mainly because he didn't exactly care who it was but she just stared for a moment and got straight to the point.

A glass smashed beneath his feet. Looking down at it, somewhat frustrated that it broke his moment of reminiscing, he bent down and picked up the broken shards. With a frown, he followed the rest, crunching underneath the weight of his boots. The shards lead him to a picture, a picture of her. A picture of her and him. They looked happy in that picture, where he who shall not be named hadn't betrayed them and threw everything that she did for them back in their faces.

A sigh escaped his lips as he set it back down, stumbling into the kitchen and grabbing the bottle of whisky on the counter. After those events, he went back to his old ways... Kind of. His taste for alcohol grew, but for women, it died down. Taking a swig, he wiped his mouth afterwards and swore he heard a loud knock on the door. Staying still and quiet for a moment, sanguine optics stared at the ground until he realised it was only his imagination of that eventful day. With a sigh, he placed the bottle down again.

Slumping down on the sofa, he reached for the remote and switched on the news, slipping his slightly long hair out of the way. He hadn't bothered to cut it since that day again, but he did dye it back to black, yet that white bit - no matter how much he tried - was persistent. He probably would need to cut it again. Head rested on hand as he watched. At least these news reporters were more honest than Bob Barbas even if he could hear the people upstairs complaining about "how they're not doing anything to rid of the demons."

A few seconds later and he was out with the television still blaring, the whisky bottle smashed on the floor with the half eaten pizza being buzzed around by flies and at least three half eaten cupcakes swarmed with ants. He really needed to clean this place up, but for who's benefit? Oh, little did Dante know.


	2. The Story Begins

The Story Begins

The club was loud and she had to keep pushing by people, her lithe form not doing her much help. The hooded woman had to push by to get past as the patrons grinded against one another. With a small shove at a couple that she didn't bother apologising for pushing as the tall brunette shouted; "Hey!"

Reaching up to her ear to her bluetooth earpiece, she pressed the button that patched her through to her boss. Intelligence had been collected on the demon running around. As she hung up, she got into the car and couldn't help looking to her right with a smile as she started the car. Chromatic acuities saddened as she realised that he wasn't sitting there anymore, and hadn't been for nearly a year.

A sigh escaped plump lips as she drove off back to work. After the demons had been exposed to the real world, she and him and parted ways. Of course, not straight afterwards. It was in the dead of the night, that she had basically abandoned him. Yet, he told her about the time he wasn't abandoning her when he was telling her about he should have known about his brother. He had punched the wall, scaring her and making her jump which he quickly apologised for.

She thought it was toxic, staying with him now. He had temper shortages, seemed to get angry over nothing and usually came home drunk, smelling of alcohol which worried her to a great extent. He usually just shoved her back with a grunt whenever she tried to help him. The persistence had been perhaps too great (and he had been too drunk) when he pushed her against the wall at one point, hands on her hips in a bone crushing grip, holding her there as she winced. He promised he wouldn't hurt her, yet he did. He just stood there, staring at her lips before burying his face in her neck and beginning to caress her hips gently at the bruises forming with a millionlwhispered apologies. He hadn't meant to hurt her, of course.

Still, after that, she thought it best to get away from him and start fresh. There was no note left as the witch thought it pointless. She snuck away, letting the rain she was never aloud to feel as he had refused to let her out of his sight pour on her face from the feeling of being free. If she was honest, she was scared what would happen if she had stayed. Would he have hurt her again, but yet apologised about it later? If he did, she would have left straight after that. It doesn't count that you're sorry if you continue to do what you're apologising for, not that she gave him a chance to.

Once she had left, the medium found work in a resistance group against the demons. It had a few of her friends from her work in it which had been happy to see that she was alive, as well as she was them. She was just so happy they had survived the explosion, that she had to cry as the psychic thought she was the only one. Finding out the resistance group had been formed by a man who knew about the Nephilim, however, made her feel queasy. "They could be useful," he had said when speaking to her. He had that gleam in his eye when he spoke, the same one her ex-boss had when speaking of freedom.

Obviously, she was about to tell him she knew of the Nephilim before she saw the malicious glint in his eye. She had every right to be suspicious, having dealt with people like him before. Instead, Kat lied, saying she had never heard of such a creature in her life.

The Nephilim had been wandering, really, knowing he needed to buy cleaning supplies for his new apartment but he actually had no idea how to use Cif. It was always Kat that had cleaned his apartment. He always felt a wave of melancholy wash over him when he thought of her. That one time he hurt her when he promised he wouldn't had drove her away. He shouldn't have done it, yet it probably wasn't just that. It was probably the awkward lack of conversation, the way he got angry at little things and the constant drinking. Hurting her had just driven her over the edge and that was when she decided she had enough.

He supposed it was for the best, for the both of them. Without Kat, he was able to see the errors he made and realise how much he actually missed her, how stupid he had been to think he could act like such a dick and the woman would deal with it. He stepped on something; like paper. The Nephilim looked down. It was a ten dollar bill.

"Ah, score." He whispered to himself, leaning down to pick it up. Upon standing up, he heard giggling. That girly giggle reminded him of Kat when he had tried to bake brownies for the first time and got the powder all over his face. When he fully came out, her giggles turned into cackling and he had to smirk at that memory in his less tragic past. 'Pon turning around, Dante noticed a few women staring at his ass. He gave them a wink and they flirtatiously giggled as he painted the fake smirk on his face, turning back to his path as he sighed and rolled his eyes, pocketing the bill.

"Yeah, okay. I'll meet you there, Philip. See you soon," Kat said into the bluetooth speaker phone, "and be careful!" She added, as Philip was a new recruit in the team. She heard a scoff and some words of juvenile reassurance from him that made Kat smirk. He reminded her of Dante sometimes. Hanging up, Kat exited the car. Her hood still hid most of her face, but it felt uncomfortable with her hair being slightly longer than a few months ago.

"Take a seat, miss, we'll deal with your problem in a moment." said the register just as she walked in. Upon opening her mouth to speak, he gave her once over before noticing who she was. Kai stopped fiddling with the phone and stood up straight, making Kat raise a brow. He always acted this way around her - a robotic idiot - and she had no idea why. Passing over her card, he scanned it to let Kat through before passing it back. Giving a nod of thanks, she took the card from him and passed by him into the doors.

The organisation may have looked like a small office from the outside with the letters SALVATION painted outside and chipping so it almost said SALTION instead, but it was so much more inside. Beige boots walked - sore from the bruises she had received on that job when the demon pulled off her shoes and near enough crushed her feet - to her room. Approaching, she was soon interrupted by Hanley - the organisation's flirt. He leaned against the wall, one hand blocking her path.

"Excuse me." Kat mumbled with a sigh, but Hanley ignored it, annoying Kat to a great extent.

"Are you free tonight?" he asked, winking at her with one acorn brown eye, making her inwardly roll hers and want to hit him over the head with a shovel. Maybe she should spray her squirrel semen filled can in his face.

"No," she replied, strongly, moving to walk past him. "I have to meet Philip tonight." She announced, moving to punch in the code into her room. This wasn't a procedure, the witch had demanded one after Hanley decided he wanted to creep on her in the shower. The medium really wasn't going to lie, she felt incredibly nauseous around Hanley, almost the same nausea she felt with demons.

"Him," Hanley scoffed, he was never open to getting to know new recruits unless they were pretty. "Forget him. Come have some fun with me tonight."

Kat gave him a glare, slamming the door in his face instead of replying. There was no way she was abandoning a new recruit like he did once to leave them to nearly die. Unluckily enough, that new recruit had been her and her boss had to save her. Sometimes, Kat liked talking with her boss but other times she hated it as he always brought up the Nephilim and how useful they could be to their cause. It made Kat nauseous now whenever someone talked about them, as they had no idea of her past with them.

The movie that was on was incredibly boring, sending Dante off to sleep. He was almost nodding off when he heard a loud knock on his door, keeping him from drifting off. Answering the door bare chested - yet in his jeans - Dante had to shield his eyes from the sunlight spilling on his face as he looked down to a scrawny young boy with brown hair and eyes. Icy blue acuities blinked as he watched him, shake and quiver.

"What?!" he pushed, sounding frustrated that he was just standing there. He huffed and was just about to turn back before he felt something hard collide with his head. It didn't affect him much, only made him turn around and grab the scrawny boy by the throat and pin him to the wall. As he did so, his eyes blazed red, making the boy widen his. Just as he was about to smash his brains in with Eryx, Dante felt something being injected into his bloodstream, knocking him out.

Philip Gregory was a small yet built boy, with a cheesy grin and a personality to go with that. He had hazelnut brown eyes and honey blond hair. Kat gave a smile as his grin spread on his face and he waved. The witch stepped out of the car in time to greet him as she was dressed in a night gown to fit in with the crowd. Philip, dressed in a tux, offered his arm to Kat.

"Shall we?" He asked, making the sixteen year old next to him give a nod. Philip was only a year younger than her, yet Kat would still consider him a little baby brother. Slipping her arm through his, they both made their way into the ball room. Given it was a classy event, they had to act as if they were to have a good time and enjoy every single bit of it - even though they were only there for the thrower of the party.

Philip turned to Kat, waiting for orders. Observation played a huge part in Kat's skills, so she would take her sweet time, of course. Once finished, malachite optics turned to face the small boy next to her.

"One dance; then we go in for the kill." She ordered, making Philip nod. Taking each other into a Waltz as the music started playing, Kat couldn't help but scan the others for trace of demon. The feeling that she could sense them made her stomach churn. As they soon finished the dance, they were at the back. With a gesturing nod, Kat opened the door and led Philip into the storage room.

Closing the door quietly, Philip followed Kat through the dark shadowed place, them both breathing heavily. Shaking her spray can that contained a banishing spell she had learned, Kat had it at the ready. Hearing the shake of the can, Philip pulled a face and made a disgusted sound, making Kat smirk. He sounded like Dante.

"Okay," she whispered as they approached the back of the stage. "He's here. I can feel him. Oh, I feel sick." She announced, making Philip give her a concerned look.

"You're not gonna throw up, are ya?"

"No, it's just a feeling. I'm used to it. Follow me."

Approaching their destination, Kat pocketed the spray can as it seemed they didn't need it. Pulling back the curtains that draped around the back of the stage, she and Philip peered out. The demon they were searching for seemed to have someone next to him, bound and hidden with a potato bag over their head,

"Ladies, gentlemen; you may remember the terrorists that terrorised our beautiful Limbo City many months ago," he began, making Kat stiffen and widen her eyes, "because I do. Our saviour and King Mundus brought this world under structure, then these maggots, have to go and ruin it. Their names; Dante and Kat." He finished his first part. The witch had to note how he didn't mention her ex-boss mentally as she felt more nauseous than usual now. Philip waved a hand in her face, seeing it's paper whiteness. Oh, now Kat was going to be sick.

"Sadly, I don't have the girl, but I do have... Dante. Lo and behold, ladies and gentlemen," he began, ripping the bag off of his head. "Dante! Son of Sparda! Rejoice in this capture, fellow demons," so they were all demons," as I honour our King in ripping out his heart and making him watch as we feast on it. There should be enough for everyone."

Just as he began to dig his fingers into his chest and saw Dante tip his head back, grunting in pain, Kat gave a scream, making Philip jump. The demon stopped, looking around for the source. Dante opened his eyes, looking directly at Kat. His eyes widened as they both stared at each other, Kat's hand slipping from her mouth. Philip looked between them both, wondering what was going on.

They both just stood like that and stared with the most shocked look. As soon as the psychic got her senses together, she turned to Philip.

"Stay here." She ordered, grabbing her spray can and going back the way they came. He hissed her name, willing her to come back.

"Kat!" Dante yelled, without thinking. "Shit!" He hissed. As soon as he said her name, Philip gave him a bewildered look. How did he know her?

Hitherto to the demon getting his senses together, he grabbed Dante by the hair. "What was that name?!" He yelled, tipping his head back and yanking on his hair, hard. Dante hissed. He wasn't talking. There was no way he was getting his best friend caught up in his mess.

"The name, boy!" The demon demanded, only to have someone tap him on the shoulder. 'Pon turning, he just began cowering in the corner, hissing. Banishing spells worked more as a repellant. Moving to Dante, Kat managed to undo one of his bonds before the demon attacked her. She gave a yelp, yet fought back.

"Kat!" Philip and Dante yelled at the same time. Activating Eryx as Dante broke his other bond, he punched the demon into the ground and grabbed Kat by the arm, hauling her up and behind him. He stared at her for a long moment, as she did him. Philip came rushing out, making Kat look away first. He looked bewildered; confused as he looked between Dante and Kat.

"It's a long story. I suggest asking the witch." Dante announced, rather arrogantly, nodding his ebony crown towards the lithe form behind him. Kat looked hurt by this. He had obviously meant "witch" in a negative way. Even if he did, he still grabbed her hand, keeping Eryx activated just incase. He rushed out with her, hauling her behind him, Philip following.

As soon as they were out, Philip looked to Kat. As did Dante, but it was more with a "How could you? Where did you go?" sort of look. Philip's was still his perplexed visage.

"Wanna explain?" Philip asked, gesturing between the two. Kat gave a defeated sigh, looking back to the Nephilim with apologetic eyes, tears threatening to fall.

"I'll tell you in the car," she replied, hooded apex turning to the building. "Come on, before they realise we're out."


	3. Salvation

Salvation

"So, you two worked together in that organisation people thought were a group of terrorists? Your boss betrayed you by saying the path was clear for you to rule and then you just kind of went your separate ways?" Philip asked, raising a brow. Dante shrugged and looked at Kat. His eyes might grow magic icicles and stab her from how hard he was staring with that cold look in his eyes. He knew Kat had deliberately left out the bits from when they lived together.

"Yes." She replied, nodding with her hands on the steering wheel. One half of the drive remained silent after that. Pulling up in a garage, Kat began to undo her seatbelt before hearing Philip had already opened his door.

"You stay here. I'll get it." he kindly offered. Mouth agape before he closed the door, the witch looked back at the windshield, a tight grip on the wheel in front of her. A sigh passed the young boy's lips as he reached for the diesel. The two of them obviously had some issues to solve from the tension he could feel in the car.

The silence hit the medium's ears, making her feel uncomfortable. Shifting in her seat, Kat looked out her window. Wishing he would say something, she gave a sigh and tried to focus her mind on other things. Albeit, whenever she tried to focus on something utterly different, it always came back to her ex-boss. A sick feeling rose in her throat whenever she thought of him, almost making her physically sick. A shaking marked extremity reached for the bottle of water sitting in between them both, taking a large swig.

Dante just watched, even though his eyes softened. There really was no reason for him to be mad at her. In fact, he was more mad at himself for driving her away. There wasn't anything she had done to hurt him - except leave, but that had been more for her own good.

"Why did you leave?" He asked, his voice cold. Even though he knew exactly why, he still wanted to ask the question, despite knowing the answer as the psychic stared out of the window, her grip going back on the steering wheel. He studied her tattooed hands, waiting for her answer. He mentally traced the patterns before he could hear Kat's voice ring out.

"You know why."

"I didn't mean it, Kat."

"No. Not just that," she began, her voice still cold which made Dante feel a little bit hurt but he quickly brushed that off to listen to her. "There was no conversation, I always waited for you, awake for hours before falling asleep on the floor, you would come home, reeking of alcohol and you wouldn't stop. It scared me. That time was just the final straw to drive me away."

So he had been right. It was that. Left because of his stupidity. He sighed and looked out of the windshield, the tension between them returning. Just as Dante was about to say something, the back door was slammed shut making Kat jump but Dante scowl at nothing.

"Ah, sorry, Kat," Philip apologised, a cheesy grin on his face. Kat gave him a reassuring smile before they drove off.

Stopping in front of the outside of the organisation, Dante gave it a confused look. Philip behind him smirked. On the inside, it was much larger. The three stepped out of the car, Kat's tiny form walking past them both.

"That's... Not what I was expecting," he stated, rather melancholy, "again." he added. Kat gave a small laugh before stepping in, Philip in front. Handing their cards to Kai, Kat gave him a smile and a nod. Dante was just about to follow before Kai stopped him.

"Woah. Card." he ordered, making Dante really want to punch him in the face. He would have done if it wasn't for Kat.

"He's with us. Let him through." said psychic called. Stepping back to let Dante through, he gestured for him to proceed.

Dante still wanted to punch him in the face.

Approaching her room, Dante followed, unknowingly passing by Kat's stalker that gave him a look as he entered Kat's room. Slipping off her boots, Kat rubbed at her feet. She may have been wearing a dress but was she hell wearing heels. Noticing the bruises, Dante frowned but said nothing on it. Yet, he felt as if he needed to. Upon opening his mouth, someone came in.

Opening the door widely, Hanley stepped in and switched on the light, that flirtatious glint in his acorn eyes, making Kat jump. Dante gave him a disgusted look. Every time he was about to say something, someone had to interrupt him. There was no way he would hesitate to punch him in the face.

"Am I too late to miss the party?" Hanley asked, wiggling his eyebrows seductively. Yeah, he really would punch him in the face. With a disgusted sound, Kat groaned. Dante glared at him, silently telling him to get out before he punched him in the face.

"Oh, sorry, Kat," he apologised, actually sounding sincere when he noticed Dante's blazing eyes, "didn't see you already had company."

There was one thing the witch had to contemplate about Dante; what to do with him. She could hand him over to the organisation and get him to help, or she could just hoard him. Maybe the former sounded better. Clasping her hands behind her back, she entered her boss's office.

Louis Patterson was a man in his forties, looking a bit like Gary Oldman in the Dark Knight trilogy with those glasses. Upon looking up, he gave the medium a smile. Tired eyes looked into her grey-green ones, them so full of life but also pain. For such a young soul, she had seen so much. Not that he knew what it was. She acted mysterious, aloof. Probably to avoid getting hurt and betrayed.

"Kat. What is it, dear?" he asked. With a sigh, Kat sat in the chair opposite his desk. Louis gave a frown and her a confused look from her defeated visage. Swallowing down her fear, she opened her mouth to speak, placing marked hands in her lap.

"I... I wasn't completely honest with you when I got here. About the Nephilim." She began. Louis perked up at the mention, his eyes gleaming. The medium caught that before looking to the door where Dante was probably playing the PSP she gave him to occupy his mind before she came in.

"I know him. In fact, more than that, I worked with him. He was my friend. We lived together for a short while before I left, which was for my own benefit. I just... I didn't want to say, for him. He's my - he was my best friend." She explained as Louis stared at her.

Dante, outside, had switched off the PSP and had been listening to the whole thing. The way she corrected herself from "is" to "was" made his black heart sink. It wasn't as black when Kat came along and then left, but it was still a heavy weight to carry. Of course, she left for her benefit. She deserved someone with a heart of gold like hers. Stepping back from the wall, he threw the console on a table, walking away with an expression of frustration but a feeling of hurt.

Philip never really did get why his mother, Ingrid, had to always get up in his business with Kat. She was really just a friend, more like a big sister than anything and it seemed like she already had some sort of thing going on with that Dante fella.

"I'm tellin' you now, boy, that girl ain't no good for you. You find a nice girl." She scolded, making Philip sigh. Every mother was like this, like he was with another Kat - Katia. She had brought her up, asking what happened to her and saying she was a nice girl even though the last time they talked about her, she accused her of practicing the black arts. Thank goodness Ingrid didn't know Kat was a witch.

"She's just a friend. Really. It seems she has something going on with this Dante guy, anyway." he replied, hoping to reassure his mother. Ingrid, of course, wasn't his real mother. Anyone could see that in the difference of skin colour but she had treated her like a son when his real mother died. She was the closest person he had to family.

"Dante? Did I hear that right?"

"Well, there's not many kids' names that sound like Dante, so yeah, you did."

"Don't you sass me, boy," she scolded, making Philip throw his hands up and apologise. He should have known not to sass Ingrid. You don't sass the sass master. Her next words, though, he wasn't expecting

"If that boy is her friend, I don't want you going anywhere near her, alright? Ever again." Ingrid ordered, sounding panic stricken. A huge bite of cereal almost got caught in Philip's throat. Kat was his only friend in the whole organisation!

"Buh-" he began, making Ingrid shoot him a look and him shut up.

Kat led Dante to Louis, stopping in front of the office and gesturing for him to enter. Sanguine acuities lingered on her for a second with the slightest smile tugging at the corner of his lips. She looked away, a light blush on her face when he looked at her for a second too long.

Entering the office, Dante strode carefully through it. It was nothing like his brother's had been. Vast and almost empty, but this one looked more like a home. Cosy and less big. Ornaments from demonology and witchcraft hung upon the shelves, some Dante thought Kat had bought like the little fairy witch that said 'Happy Birthday, from Katherine'. Then again, Katherine could be his wife or something but he doubted it. For some reason, that made him want to be sick.

"Are you... Are you the Nephilim? Son of Sparda? Dante?" he was asked, hit with an array of questions. Louis strode forward, in awe. He was shorter than Dante a little but still looked as if he possessed a great power. Louis slightly discomforted the Nephilim with that short glint in his eye.

"Do forgive me, please. My name is Louis Patterson. It's an honour to meet you." said Louis, extending his hand for him to shake. Dante stared down at it, not really making any move to take it which made Louis curl his hand in and give him a small smile. "Please. Follow me."

Hanley had been at Kat's tail ever since she left Dante with Louis, following her every move whilst Ingrid's eyes stared at her, almost apologetic. Ingrid was a psychic, like her, but the one who could see into the future not like she was - a medium who could communicate with spirits through dreams. Philip made no move to talk to her whilst she had to deal with Hanley tell her a story - something about swimming - which she had no interest in. As soon as she and Philip were out of Ingrid and Hanley's sight, Philip pulled her to the side.

"What's up? Are you okay?" Kat asked, a little confused as to why he was so frantic looking. Philip nodded, but his brown eyes still shone with concern and worry. Raising a chocolate brow, Kat looked at him with her own worry.

"You have to get him out of here. Dante, get him out of here." Philip hissed, before pushing her back, leaving her with a bewildered look. Why? She didn't get the time to ask as when she went to pull him back, Ingrid shot them both a look. Painted appendages dropped as Ingrid's dark brown eyes blazed. Philip shot her an apologetic look before proceeding on with his day.

"Man, that dragged on forever," announced a voice behind her. Dante. Snapping out of her trance and thoughts, she turned to look at him. "Told me about why he set up Salvation or whatever."

With a smile, Kat gave a nod, turning back her head to look at Philip walking away. What had Ingrid said to him?

Philip hadn't wanted to hear what had come from his mother's mouth, not at all. Being the stubborn teenager he was, he had to push for an explanation until Ingrid finally gave him one. Nephilim, Son of Sparda. Why didn't Kat tell him? Maybe it was for Dante's benefit. Yet, what his mother told him he hadn't expected to hear.

He now knew Kat was with the Order, but not that she was the closest friends with their leader nor that it was her that had basically saved the world. Demons were still out for Dante and Kat's heads, wanting to make sure they were dead so they could rule over the world, burn it to the ground just to build it back up again in their own personal utopia. Yet, if you burn one revolution, another shall rise.

You can't burn an idea.

It was dangerous for him to be around Kat, it was dangerous for Kat to even want to be around him. He wanted to keep her safe, no matter what it took. Kat was like a sister to him, the first person he ever talked to within the organisation. It was the same with Ingrid, yet Philip knew so little about her.

The medium decided to lead Dante around the organisation, give him a run through on the basics. She was glad he had decided to join, but not just because he could be useful. Not that she would have admitted it, but she did miss him. Also, he would keep Hanley at bay. Sliding his hand over the dust on the wall, Dante wiped it on his jeans as he followed Kat to the room he would be staying in.

"Here it is." she announced, breaking him out of his trance. He looked her over, something he didn't do the last time he seen her. She looked the same, more or less. The same boots and attire - although different colours so he knew they were different pairs - and her favourite hoodie. She still had the same chocolate brown hair, crystalline grey-green eyes and pink lips. The scars and bruises had faded away, yet he didn't know about the scar on her arm from where she was shot yet.

"Your hair's longer." he pointed out, gesturing to her as he opened the door. Kat reached up with a painted appendage, twirling a slender digit around a strand of chocolate coloured hair.

"Yeah, I... I need to cut it." Kat mumbled, still playing with her hair. It wasn't she didn't like it long or thought she looked ugly with it, she just preferred it short. It was easier to handle and it didn't get in her face so she could easily fight the demons.

"Why? It looks nice long." Dante stated, making her smile and blush slightly. He smirked, knowing full well he had done that as she looked down. She really was cute.

"I know, but I prefer it short. It's easier." she replied, making her thoughts known. He nodded with a smile, entering his room as Kat made her way to leave him to get to know his surroundings. Dante watched her leave, or more her hips. She had some hip sway. As soon as she was out of sight, he turned to the room, studying it. Well, he couldn't mess this one up to his will.

Night dawned on the people, partying, where Kat could hear them from her room rejoice after having taken down the demon that she actually did. No one ever appreciated her, no one except Dante. Speaking of him, she could hear a knock on her door with his voice following soon afterwards.

"Kat? You in there?" he called, his voice more casual than concern or anything. 'Pon opening the door, Dante gave her the widest grin making her raise a brow as she soon opened it fully. He wasn't wearing his coat. A marked extremity rested on the skirting board as she reached for her hoodie.

"You cut your hair." he observed, making her smile as she slipped on the hoodie.

"Yeah. I can deal better now," she responded with a shaky laugh. "So, what is it?"

He scratched behind his head, wondering how she would respond to his offer. It wasn't like she was much of a girl to party but looks could be deceiving, yet she didn't act like it either.

"I was actually thinking about joining the party."

"Can't you go yourself?"

Good question. Surely enough, he could go himself but for some reason, he didn't want to go himself. Maybe it was because it was a small organisation and he only knew Kat out of the whole of them.

"Well, yeah. I mean, but..." he trailed. Kat had to stifle a giggle. Never had she thought he would be one to stumble over his words. With a sigh, she gave in, stopping his awkward twitching.

"Give me a few minutes."

The music blasted to their ears as Dante and Kat entered the large hall. All the computers had been moved to make space for them. Kat felt intimidated already, watching them all dance around them. Dante smirked, pulling her to him.

"You'll be fine." he whispered in her ear as she stuck close to him. Looking up at him, the witch gave him a lopsided smile. Hanley - always the bastard - had to break the moment by coming up to them both, whisky in his hand, swaying about drunk. Again, Dante gave him a look. Not a good look, one that initiated he still would punch him in the face.

"Well, Kat!" he yelled over the pumping music, looking her over. "Never thought I'd see you at something like this!"

Opening her mouth to tell him to get lost, Dante beat her to it, placing a protective arm over her. He didn't like this Hanley character, he gave off a bad vibe and he could tell Kat didn't either.

"Alright, buddy, I think you better get lost before you end up passed out or something."

Dante obviously hadn't meant the alcohol when he said "passed out."

Hanley gave a scoff and pushed Dante out of the way so he could get to Kat. The witch opened her mouth, pressing her lips together as he leaned over her, breathing on her face. He didn't really get to getting any words out as Kat frantically tried to shove him away. Before he knew it, Hanley was down on the floor, mumbling nonsense and Kat was pulled away. Shaking his head, he saw the Nephilim leave with Kat as a few people laughed at him.

"Thanks." Kat stated once she and Dante had reached the bar. Usually, Kat wouldn't condone Dante smashing peoples' heads into walls but he had deserved it. With a nod and a half smile, Dante handed her a glass of whatever she ordered when it came.

It wasn't alcohol, but it tasted like it. Weird. Just as she looked away, Dante handed the bartender the five dollar bill with a wink to thank him. The bartender only nodded. Yes, he had paid him to slip some vodka in Kat's drink. Not that he was going anywhere with that, he does have respect, she just needed to loosen up a little in her life.

"So do you wanna stay here all night or do you wanna dance?" he asked, giving Kat a smirk. He still remembered when she corrected herself from "is her best friend" to "was her best friend". No matter what, he still wanted to be her best friend. Kat opened her mouth, taking a little time to decide. She could stay here all night and just drink whilst he danced, or she could try and get out of her comfort zone. Not that she got much of a chance as Dante pried the drink she was holding out of her hand.

"Took too long!" he called, pulling her out on to the dancefloor. People danced together, their eyes closed and smiling. The medium was too aware of her surroundings which made the hybrid in front of her smirk and roll his eyes. They both hadn't changed much since they last saw each other. Well, he didn't want to think about that tonight. Placing his hands on her shoulders (even though he should have put them on her hips but he didn't think Kat would appreciate that) he leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"Just follow my lead." Leaning back, he saw Kat was either flushed from the heat or blushing from the close contact, probably both. Nodding, Kat stayed close to him, her hands pressed to his chest. She felt as if everyone was a hungry pack of lions, about to devour her, even though no one was even looking at her. Sliding his hands down from her shoulders, he placed them at - yet somewhat hesitantly from the last time - her hips (sneaky bastard) and swayed to the song. Her stomach did a backflip when he did, remembering the last time he had them there but this time, it was more gentle than anything and he wasn't hammered all the way to the Milky Way. Closing her own eyes, Kat decided to try and have some fun. At least with her eyes closed, she couldn't see anyone and pretend she and Dante were the only ones here.

He was more or less surprised when she began to sway her own hips to the song. Letting them go, he watched as he danced with her. He knew Hanley was watching with an angry expression from the back. Dante gave him a wink, frustrating him further because he could get her to loosen up and his fellow male couldn't. Did he not get the hint Kat didn't even like him or was he really just that persistent?

Looking back to said witch, he noticed she had her eyes open now, a dazed look on her face, drunk with the feeling of being alive. The look made him groan inwardly, but he did know how to control himself (and he had respect). He had never known a girl as beautiful as Kat. Keeping her with him from straying away, he placed his hands on her hips again. Just as the song ended, he noticed Hanley's burning look when he leaned forward to Kat.

"Kat." he stated, lowly. Her head turned, which made him smirk. All he needed to say was her name once and he had broke her out of that beautiful stupor she was in earlier. "Let's go get another drink, or do you still want my hands on your hips?"

With her mouth slightly agape, Kat looked away from him, a large blush forming on her face as she made her way towards the bar, Dante following behind with a large smirk on his face. He knew full well he had made her blush and Hanley's burning look was just the icing on the cake. Yet, of course, he wasn't doing this to annoy Hanley. He was doing this for himself and Kat, he just enjoyed seeing his face burn with pure jealousy. As if he ever had a chance with Kat. Kat was too good for them both. All Dante wanted was to be her friend again, for her to still be able to tell him things without it being awkward.

Ordering a bottle of Jack for them both, Dante turned to the psychic next to him, her watching the people dance now, yet more casually than discomforted. As their drinks came, Dante gently tapped her on the shoulder and handed her the drink. With a smile and nod of thanks, a marked extremity extended to take it. As she did, their fingers brushed against each other's and Dante quickly pulled his hand away, giving her a light smile and looking away when his own blush formed from her stare.

Kat never marked him as one to blush when she stared for just a few seconds too long. In fact, she thought he would have come back with some sort of smart ass remark like; "enjoy the view" like she saw in a few movies. Movies that always either made her change the channel or turn off the television. Finishing off the drink, she soon poured herself another, making Dante next to her arch an ebony brow.

"Like it?"

"It's good enough."

For what? he wanted to ask but decided not to push it. Instead, he just drank his own drink, looking to the people dancing.

A few drinks and Kat was all over the place. He needed no more confirmation for her to be drunk when she decided to participate in Gangnam style. Not that it was a bad thing, but she wouldn't even dance with him without a gentle shove. Extending a gloved appendage, he pulled her off the floor by her arm.

The medium frowned as he pulled her away and led her out of the hall. She tried pulling away from him but he only picked her up and slung her over his back. Of course, she struggled against him before realising it was useless and flopped.

"You need to sleep." he told her as he opened the door to her room and gently set her down on the bed, only to have her act like a six year old girl.

"No. I don't wanna go to sleep yet." she whined, moving to push away from him as he pulled off her boots. He reached up with one appendage resting on her shoulder to pin her down and keep her from moving.

"Tough." he scolded, laying her back down gently and throwing the sheet over her. Just as he was about to leave, he could hear rustling. Painting a confused visage upon his features, he turned to look at the witch struggling against the duvet. With a sigh and a roll of his eyes, he walked over to the witch and pulled her down. It took a few tugs before he finally just decided to kick off his own boots and crawl on to the bed with her, keeping her pinned down until she fell asleep.

He looked down to her resting face, throwing the duvet over her form. The hybrid was just about to slip away and leave before he felt the medium curl up next to him. A shocked look formed on his face as she did, his face going a lovely shade of pink. He had his hands in the air, as if being held at gunpoint and not knowing what to do. After a few moments, he decided just to place one around her back and the other on her arm. Yeah, that was it.

He tried to will himself to stay awake so it didn't look like anything if someone came in, yet he couldn't. Icy blues soon closed over from the heaviness of his tired eyes and his disability to see anything correctly at the moment. He saw a squirrel outside earlier and mistook it for a dancing Stygian.

"Fuck. Me!" he whispered at that time before rubbing his eyes and noticing it really was, just a squirrel. That was at the point he knew he needed rest, but he didn't want it to look awkward!

Well, we can't always get what we want. Before he knew it, strong arms wrapped around the lithe form beside him, holding them gently as if they were a childhood teddy bear. Cheek rested on the head of hair beside him as he quickly fell asleep.


End file.
